The Development Coach program is the primary entry point for most coaches in the volleyball community. The course supports coaches working in the Train to Train stage or the age groups of 13-16. The program has three designations that coaches will achieve as they work towards certification. These designations are: In Training, Trained, and Certified. The requirements for each designation are listed below.
Volleyball Alberta is responsible for the delivery of the Development Coach Pathway. The requirements are listed below or they can be found under the Development Coach section of Volleyball Canada’s NCCP Pathways document.
In Training – Development Coach
To achieve In Training – Development Coach designation, coaches must successfully complete the following:
1. Foundations of Volleyball eLearning
The Foundations of Volleyball eLearning module is a prerequisite to the Development Coach Workshop. The module must be completed prior to registering for the Development Coach Workshop. The Foundations of Volleyball eLearning module is designed to provide necessary information a volleyball coach will need prior to the Development Coach Workshop. The content of the module will be applied and practiced in the workshop.
Trained – Development Coach
To achieve Trained – Development Coach designation, coaches must successfully complete the following in addition to all previously listed requirements:
1. Multi-Sport Modules
- Make Ethical Decisions (optional if MED Online Evaluation is completed)
The Multi-Sport Modules provide education and training in areas relevant to coaches in all sports. In Alberta, the Multi-Sport Modules are offered through the Government of Alberta’s Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation branch (SPAR). A schedule of upcoming Multi-Sport Workshops in Alberta can be found here.
2. Development Coach Workshop
After completion of the Foundations of Volleyball eLearning module, you will be able to register in the Development Coach Workshop (currently offered ONLINE as Live Facilitated sessions). This workshop has been designed to introduce the game of volleyball and basic coaching concepts to novice coaches. Coaches will be expected to participate in a series of learning experiences designed to assist them in improving their volleyball coaching abilities and to have those coaching abilities assessed throughout the course.
Please note that coaches must be a minimum of 16 years old in order to participate in a Development Coach Workshop.
A list of workshops currently being offered by Volleyball Alberta can be found here.
Certified – Development Coach
The final step in the Development Coach Pathway is the Coaching Portfolio and Evaluation and evaluated by a certified Coach Evaluator. To achieve Certified – Development Coach designation, coaches must successfully complete the following, in addition to all previously listed requirements:
1. Portfolio Submission
- Practice Plan
- Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
2. Evaluation Requirements
- Make Ethical Decisions ONLINE EVALUATION (free if Make Ethical Decisions Multi-Sport module has been completed)
- Making Headway In Sport (Generic)
- Analyzing Performance Online Evaluation (Basic Skills)
- Support to Athletes in Training Evaluation (in-person evaluation or by video with a trained Coach Evaluator)
More information on the Development Coach Portfolio and Evaluation Requirements can be found HERE (Development Coach Evaluation Package).
For more information on Volleyball Canada’s Development Coach Pathway, please email Mike Ling, coaching@volleyballalberta.ca
